We’re All a Different Shade of Green

Getting to Know You

We’re all in a different place when it comes to “greening” ourselves and our homes. Maybe you are a mom-to-be who wants the best for her new baby but aren’t really sure where to start. Or maybe you are the parent who has already made many positive changes around your home, but you are still learning and trying to do better each day. Or maybe you are the family who composts and has traded in your gas guzzler for a hybrid or an electric car. My point is we’re all a “different shade of green” but still evolving to be better each day. I consider myself to be more in the medium shade of green category—I know lots about this topic, I do many things that are considered to be green—but I still have some room to improve.

In this space, you will find ideas on how you can be more green around your home, info about cool eco-companies, hot eco news, info on ingredients to avoid, and so, so much more. It’s also important to know that this blog is not about making you feel badly about the things you are or aren’t doing. This blog is here to help you make sense of all the things you hear about each day and to show you how easy it is to make changes for the better.

Now, you may not know me because I’m more of a behind-the-scenes kinda person. I tend to keep a low profile in the social media world…but I am working on that, so please say hi to me on Twitter! I don’t write a personal blog like many of the other talented YMC bloggers, so unless you and I know each other personally, you don’t know much about me. To help you get to know a little bit about the person behind this blog, here a few random (and not so random) facts:

I own an online store called Nayla Natural Care. I created my own eco store over four years ago, right around the height of the BPA scare. I could not find all the safe products I wanted for my children in one spot, so I created that spot.

I also work as a writer and web editor/content manager. I have been YMC’s Web Editor since early 2011.

The most important job I have is parenting. I have two amazing children who allow me to re-discover the world through their eyes each day. What can be better than that?

I am obsessed with ingredient lists. You know that person who sometimes blocks your way in store aisles because she’s busy reading the ingredients on a product label? I am that person. Because of my store and because I want the best for my family, it’s my job to keep on top of this stuff. My brain has become an encyclopedia of sorts on ingredients to avoid and why. I’ll share what I know with you here…

I am a foodie. With the abundance of excellent food blogs out there coupled with the amazing YMC food content I get to work on each week, I’m a happy girl. I recently changed the way I eat which coincidentally is considered to be a more eco-friendly way to eat. More on that in a future post...

I will always make time for TV. No matter how many hats I wear, I will always make the time for my shows. Always. True Blood, Dexter, Downton, Boardwalk, Game of Thrones, Mad Men, Modern Family, Parenthood...I love them all.

You know I could go on and on, right? But I won’t, because now, it’s your turn.

Tell me about you! What shade of green do you consider yourself? What eco-topics would you like to learn more about?

After working for many years as a successful tech writer, Gwen decided to leave that world behind to become a stay-at-home mom to her two children. Soon after, she started paying more attention to what was in the products she brought into her home and realized that it was not all good. She stepped into action and educated herself on exactly what is safe, and what is not. Once she decided on the products she liked, she soon learned that it was no easy task to find these things in one convenient place so this was when she decided to open up an online eco-store. After all, she couldn’t be the only parent out there who had this problem, right?

After six very rewarding years of being a store owner and being immersed in the "green world," Gwen made the bittersweet decision to close down her popular online shop.

Gwen uses her educational background in Journalism and Computer Programming in the first business she started where she works as a writer and web-editor/content manager. She also writes on her own blog, Delightful Adventures, AND also happens to be YummymummyClub.ca's Sponsored Content Production Manager. She’s busy, right? But guess what? She loves every single thing she has her hands in and wouldn’t trade what she does for anything.